‘Showing no signs of stopping’ - Five in-form trainers as we head into the spring The worst of the winter is hopefully beyond us now and we’re quickly headed towards the spring. That is excellent news for National Hunt racing, as that means the major festivals will soon be upon us. Cheltenham is less than a month away and Aintree and Punchestown will follow swiftly after. With that in mind, it might be worth keeping an eye out for the trainers who are in good form heading into the spring so here are five to follow. Willie Mullins Starting with the most obvious first, Willie Mullins is the sport’s dominant force and that doesn’t look like changing anytime soon. Cheltenham, Aintree and Punchestown all belong to him at this point and further spring festival success will be high on his agenda. It took him a while to get into full gear this season and long-time rival Gordon Elliott has taken full advantage. Mullins is certainly firing on all cylinders now, however, and that rarely doesn’t bode well for his competition. He often runs four or more in one race so the fact that his strike-rate over the last fortnight or so is 32 per cent is particularly impressive. Gordon Elliott Gordon Elliott has maintained a very healthy level of form throughout the season and his steady flow of winners is showing no signs of stopping. The County Meath-based trainer still has a decent lead over Mullins in the trainers’ table and some very nice horses. It took him until the very last race of the meeting to land a winner at last year’s Cheltenham Festival, but that’s unlikely to be the case this year. If his season continues on its current trajectory, he should pose a much bigger threat to Mullins at Punchestown too. Dan Skelton Britain has been dominated by Ireland over the last couple of seasons, but Dan Skelton may well have an insurmountable lead at the top of the trainers’ table in Britain. His grand total of 148 winners continues to grow with each day and he could be in for a successful spring. The New Lion looks like a serious candidate for the Champion Hurdle, whilst Grey Dawning has developed into a proper Grade 1 horse this season. Aintree should provide plenty of opportunities and Kabral Du Mathan could prove hard to beat there. Nicky Henderson It has been a quiet season numerically for the Nicky Henderson yard, having had a little over 250 runners so far, but his strike-rate of 24 per cent is very healthy indeed. He has some serious Cheltenham candidates, including the likes of Constitution Hill and Jango Baie. Top of the list is Supreme Novices’ Hurdle hope Old Park Star. If he manages to come out on top, it could be a sign of things to come for Henderson at the spring festivals. Don’t forget about Lulamba, who could win at Cheltenham and Aintree if turning up at both. Ben Pauling Ben Pauling has been a rising star for the last few years now and the Gloucestershire-based trainer is about ready to hit the big time. It has been another standout season for him and he achieved the biggest victory of his career with The Jukebox Man’s King George success. He also has some smart novice chasers who might not quite be up to winning Grade 1s in the spring, but valuable handicaps could well be on the agenda.
